Morning journal and courier., 1887-11-07
The Persian NTuleteer.

The Persian muleteer is notoriously sober and almost invariably religious, saying his numerous formal prayers and keeping the great monthly fast of his sreligion with praiseworthy regularity. And this is all the more creditable to him, says the St. James Gazette, when it is remembered that it is 8 movable fast, and that it often occurs during the great heats of summer: also that the
 muleteer (as traveler) is especially absolved from the necessity of keeping it in the Ko- ran itself Of course, from his continuous
 walking exercise, the muleteer is as hard as
 nails; there is no superfuous fat about him,
 and the muscles of his arms and legs stand
 out like knotted cordage. He is always good
 natured and communicative. "Sahib," he
 will say with superior air, 1T understand
 you; am not like the rustics or the misera-
 ble townsmen who have never seen the world. Praise be to God, I am a man of understanding.
 After this little preliminary blow of his
 own trumpet this land sailor, just like his
 marine prototype, will spin you yarn after
 yarn, and so beguile the toilsome hours of the dusty way. In country where honesty
 is the exception the straightforward muleteer
 is deservedly a great favorite. When he
 isn't chatting, laughing, urging on his ami mals or adjusting their loads, he is singing the odes of Ha6z, telling the tales of Saadi, or yelling a modern love song at the full pitch of his great voice. He is singing of
 the loves of the nightingale and the rose, and
 how fickle Leila has made roast meat of his
 heart, or he will rattle off long winded
 fairy tale full of jinns, deeves, giants,
 dwarts and imprisoned princesses-in all of
 whom he honestly believes. After months
 march he will gratefully accept the equiva-
 lent of twenty shillings, boundless liberal
 ity, and will shed tears at parting with the
 unbeliever, and actually go through the form
 of kissing your hand or the hem of your
 garment. He will protect your luggage from
 accident and the inclemence of the weather;
 no faithful foster-brother could be more ready in your qusrreEright Or wrong, he throws his lot with you, though you are
 unbeliever. He will fling his warm cloak over your wife's shoulders she is riding at your side, to protect her from the pitiless torrents of rain; or barefooted, he will plunge along through slush, water and melting or falling snow, to lead her horse. He will chatter to and amuse your little children, and will even make rude toys for them with his great jack-knife. If you have money or valuables with you you are quite safe in handing them over to the charge of the head muleteer, and all the time you journey to- gether he is your faithful guide, philosopher and friend. And when the long, weary jour ney is over, and you are greeted the next morning with 8 cheery "salaam," and you see 8 portly individual clean as 8 new pin, fresh from the bath, his beard newly dyed bright red, every stitch on him, even his shoes, being bran new, if you are just man, and have spark of gratitude in your com position, the least you can do will be to gra- cious1y invite him to be seated, and to cause your own best water pipe to be freshly filled and lighted for him, and then to hand him his full hire and his little present, and do your very best to protect him against the great silken-coated army of horse leechss, Tz0T1 fa rho 1roIr lat as their lawful prey, and who are all anxious ly waiting outside to take from kim. by hook or by crook, the ten per cent. of his earnings which they consider theirs by right.